2011 Signing Class? Oversigned?

[friend10]

I agree. They should reward hard work. Say 4 kids don't qualify in this class. That would leave 24 with 12 seniors leaving. Does that mean SMU only had 73 kids on scholarship last year? Seems low.

[gostangs]

ideally our team gets so good there is never room for a walk-on.

[Dutch]

Why should the colleges be in the business of serving as a development league for the NBA? Let the NBA and NFL develop their own minor leagues like MLB and NHL and develop players there. Guess what, if a kid is offered a paycheck out of high school by pros, that would do a lot to clean up college football and basketball. Then kids would have a choice, go to college or go pro. Then the kids who really wanted an education (like NHL and MLB college prospects) would go to college and those that couldn't care less about studying would go for the cash.

that will never happen. NFL owners aren't going to shell out the cash when they essentially have a free developmental league that will give them the ability to then pick the best developed players.

[ponyboy]

This thread and the Moreland camping out thread do not help things at this time of year. Couldn't we have posted this stuff after signing day? I'm sure there are some recruits sitting on the fence about committing right now and unsubstantiated rumor does not help.

[mustangbill67]

I agree. They should reward hard work. Say 4 kids don't qualify in this class. That would leave 24 with 12 seniors leaving. Does that mean SMU only had 73 kids on scholarship last year? Seems low.

do not know if all the graduating seniors were on scholarship, some may be walk-ons. In any event, the scholarship base includes 4, 5 and in some cases 6 year kids. Without knowing precisely who the walk-ons are it is difficult to tell how many scholarships we are using at any particular time. It seems we are always pretty close to the 85 limit but I assume we hold back a few ships for possible transfers and to award a ship to a walk-on.

[PonyPlayer4]

ideally our team gets so good there is never room for a walk-on.

I don't like this statement at all. Ideally you would want as many kids in your camp as your can take in. For so many reasons kids are overlooked in high school that are actually incredible football players. They might be few and far between, but you hear stories every year about walk-ons at schools big and small that are major impact players for the school. All-Conference players.

[couch 'em]

I agree with Stallion on this one. If you could punish those schools with bad APR's quicker, then you would see some parity.

I may well be mistaken, but I don't think you take a hit on the APR for players going pro, do you? Unless you punnish schools for players going pro early, enforcing APR penalties will make LESS parity, not more.

Top schools get the first pick of players. If APR is that valuable, they will pick the best players that have the academics to stay eligable. Typically large state schools have the programs to keep players eligable. Thus, top schools get the players, they are eligable, and APR isn't hurt.

At a school like SMU, if APR is so enforced, you won't be able to take academically marginal players to improve your program. You'll have to go head to head with the big boys for academically suitable players. We know how that one typically turns out. Crummy program loses.

With academic problem athletes now basically unrecruitable, the pool to available talent shrinks more.

Now you have a program like SMU competing against the top schools, for less players. And we have a harder time keeping players eligable that may cruise through basketweaving at a large state school.

That doesn't sound like increased parity.

[Stallion]

I don't want to use APR-I want a Coach to be penalized for signing nonqualifiers because his gamble failed. If a kid is close then the Coach will likely take a chance if he's a good prospect. If his transcript is a mess then then Coaches shouldn't sign them until the recruit cleans up their mess-and signing too many too early is going to benefit schools which are in the business of admitting recruits who have a legitimate shot at graduating. Perhaps you could have a second recruiting period for those that have "cleaned up their mess"

[fbparent]

ideally our team gets so good there is never room for a walk-on.

I don't like this statement at all. Ideally you would want as many kids in your camp as your can take in. For so many reasons kids are overlooked in high school that are actually incredible football players. They might be few and far between, but you hear stories every year about walk-ons at schools big and small that are major impact players for the school. All-Conference players.

To further PonyPlayer4's comment, you hope SMU becomes a school that little boys dream of playing at one day. If that becomes the case, some kids will attempt to walk on at SMU because they are so committed to the idea of attending the school (and had been for a very long time).

My son is a walk on. He passed on scholarships to play at SMU. We are happy with his role on the team and could care less about a scholarship . Can you tell from the stands who is a walk on and who is not? He loves the team, the travel and the beautiful school.

[RGV Pony]

He loves the team, the travel and the beautiful school.

so do we. Appreciate your insight fbparent.

Also...wasnt Chase Kennemer a walkon? Keep them coming..

[mrydel]

Big programs have the most walk ons. I do not see how signing a full class would hurt that. It only gives more reason for someone to walk on. I have no numbers, but I believe our walk ons have increased with Jones as coach.

[smuuth]

The dirty dealings of coaches behind the scenes and the lies they tell rarely make the press coverage. The main publicity is about kids decommiting. It goes on everywhere.

[SMU 86]

The dirty dealings of coaches behind the scenes and the lies they tell rarely make the press coverage. The main publicity is about kids decommiting. It goes on everywhere.

Are you a coach?

[Topper]

ideally our team gets so good there is never room for a walk-on.

I don't like this statement at all. Ideally you would want as many kids in your camp as your can take in. For so many reasons kids are overlooked in high school that are actually incredible football players. They might be few and far between, but you hear stories every year about walk-ons at schools big and small that are major impact players for the school. All-Conference players.

Many years ago I remember Keith Jackson did a piece on ABC about the big "walk on" program at the University of Nebraska. It interested me that many of them were kids from poor, southern, rural, out of state high schools who some how found a way to pay for travel and out of state tuition, and weren't bothered by the ice and snow of Lincoln at all.

I.M. Hipp, an All-American running back who slept on a dirt floor in a cabin in South Carolina was one of them. How did this work?

[Junior]

nebraska's walk on program was a legend. no program in the US had the reputation of the program.

here's a link to a good story about it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/sports/ncaafootball/04nebraska.html